This Friday, March 18, is World Sleep Day., as a date to raise awareness in the population regarding the benefits that good sleep brings to the physical and mental health of the body. It is because of that, Portal Bogotaspoke with two specialists from the Ministry of Health regarding this healthy and necessary practice, as well as to help you identify if you are sleeping well or not and share some recommendations.
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In this way, we consult the doctors Carlos Mantilla Toloza medical specialist in psychiatryat the San Benito Health Center, where the mental health operations center of the South Subnetalready Miguel Angel Sabogal Psychiatrist at the Fray Bartolomé de las Casas Clinic in the funciona and president of the Colombian Association of Mental Health, who shared their knowledge regarding the importance of sleeping well.
What is sleep and why is sleep important?
Sleep is a vital activity for human beings that has been underestimated for a long time, since, as explained by the Doctor Carlos Mantilla, of the South Subnet: “Most people think that sleeping is a waste of time, however, biologically we are designed to spend almost half of our lives sleeping. Sleep allows us to function well when we are awake, both cognitively and physically“.
In the following audio, the specialist provides his definition of what sleep means, for physical and mental health:
What are the stages of sleep?
According to National Institutes of Health (NIH), the brain goes through five distinct phases in its sleep cycle: first four and a fifth in which rapid eye movement sleep is experienced, called phase (REM for its acronym in English).
The REM phase of sleep occurs between 70 and 90 minutes following falling asleep and represents 25% of sleep, which can be repeated several times during the night. It is known that the person entered the REM sleep state, when he begins to dream, and REM sleep is considered to be involved in the brain’s process of storing memories and learning, as well as mood balance.
“When the deepest phase of sleep is reached, at that moment the brain turns on once more as if the person were awake and that is when he begins to dream, to relive everything he did during the day or to think regarding what he is going to do. happen in the future. This seems to be another of the functions of the brain: to recharge brain energy and emotional energy,” explained Dr. Carlos Mantilla of the South Subnetwork.
For his part, the psychiatrist, Miguel Angel Sabogal, of the Northern Subnetwork, explains that during the first four phases of the sleep cycle they are characterized by the fact that the body and brain relax but the level of consciousness is maintained.
Then, between the third and fourth phase of sleep, the heart rate decreases and the muscles disconnect, and a great brain activity begins that gives way to the REM phase, as explained by the expert in the following audio:
What are the benefits of having a good sleep?
The two specialists agree that having a good sleep habit every night translates into multiple benefits for physical health because functions such as those of the heart are regulated, while helping to reduce the amount of stress hormones in the blood , and this prevents blood pressure and heart rate from rising, in addition, the learning capacity, thinking and the brain’s ability to organize this information are strengthened.
As for mental health, as Dr. Mantilla explains: “Sleeping well helps balance mood, relaxes the body and thus facilitates the natural production of melanin and serotoninsubstances responsible for counteracting the negative effects generated by stress and, on the contrary, make us happier, more loving people and therefore, emotionally stronger in any circumstance of life”.
In turn, having a good sleep habit will allow your brain makes necessary neural connections every night, in this way the possibilities of presenting conditions such as memory loss are reducedIn addition, it allows you to carry out certain functions during the day, without difficulty, such as: practicing a sport, cycling to work, writing, walking and all those that require a good reserve of energy.
How many hours should you sleep at night?
Dr. Mantilla and Dr. Sabogal agree that the adequate time of night sleep should be, on average, eight hours (minimum time of 6 hours), however, this differs between each person, according to their genetic factors, the stage of life they are in, their needs and/or daily activities.
Next, Dr. Mantilla explains in detail:
“You have to learn to know the organism, that is, that the number of hours a person should sleep is the number of hours that, the next day when they wake up, make them feel rested, lucid, calm and fast in their mental functions. From this perspective, there are people who need six hours, while others need 10 hours of sleep. It is important to emphasize that they must be night hours of sleep for it to be restful, “explained Dr. Miguel Ángel Sabogal.
In the following audio, Dr. Sabogal assures that today, one of the most common causes of consulting a psychiatrist is related to insomnia, because people do not have good sleep habits and are losing vital hours of repair, such as He explains it in the audio:
Recommendations for a good sleep habit
Specialists recommend taking into account the following steps to generate a good sleep habit, which promotes brain, physical and emotional repair:
???? Adapt the room and the space to sleep, so that it is calm, with a good temperature (not too hot, not too cold), silent and dark.
???? Avoid using any bright screen before bed, such as leaving the television on or checking your cell phone, because these devices emit blue light, which keeps the brain active and does not promote rest. It is recommended to read a book or do meditation or breathing exercises before going to sleep.
???? Avoid exercising or physical activity at night since substances are released in the body that cause the person to wake up several times at night, on the contrary, the benefits are greater when it is done in the morning (minimum 15 daily minutes).
???? Receiving sunlight in the morning, for at least 10 minutes, because this action helps the brain to activate early and prepare to rest at night. This levels out the circadian system, that is, the time intervals in which the body is programmed to sleep at night and wake up during the day.
???? Do not take naps during the day, the ideal is that the person stays active during the day so that he spends energy and, at night, at bedtime, sleep is restful.
???? It is important not to eat two hours before bedtime, because the digestive process does not allow deep sleep and promotes gastrointestinal reflux.
???? Do not use the bed during the day for study activities, teleworking or eating food, because the brain stops associating the bed as a space to rest and sleep.
???? Do not abuse the consumption of substances that stimulate the central nervous system, such as coffee, following 4:00 in the followingnoon, because this decreases the quality of sleep.
